Kenneth Feinberg to Speak on "Unconventional Responses to Unique Catastrophes" During the Penn Law Segal Lecture

September 13, 2010

Kenneth R. Feinberg will deliver the University of Pennsylvania Law School's Irving R. Segal Lecture in Trial Advocacy, entitled Unconventional Responses to Unique Catastrophes: Tailoring the Laws to Meet the Challenges, on Tuesday, Oct. 12 at 4:30 p.m.

Feinberg will draw on recent examples – from the Federal September 11 Victim Compensation Fund, to TARP Executive Compensation, to the Gulf Coast Claims Facility arising out of the BP Gulf Oil spill – to demonstrate how the law can be applied to provide unconventional responses to national tragedies. In doing so, he will describe how basic legal principles may be ?exibly and creatively applied to achieve justice in some of the most complex and challenging circumstances.

Feinberg is one of the country’s most prominent lawyers, and has played a key role in resolving many of our nation’s most challenging and widely known disputes. He currently serves as administrator of the $20 billion BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill compensation fund, and in 2009 was appointed as the Wall Street “pay czar,” overseeing compensation for executives at firms that received federal bailout funds. He is perhaps best known for serving as special master of the Federal September 11th Victim Compensation Fund. He has also served as special master in Agent Orange, asbestos personal injury, wrongful death, Dalkon shield, and DES (pregnancy medication) cases.

Feinberg headed the alternative dispute resolution program for resolving insurance claims arising out of Huricane Katrina and other hurricanes in the Gulf region. He served as distribution agent for the $800 million AIG Fair Fund and as fund administrator for the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund following the tragic shootings at Virginia Tech. In his capacity as an arbitrator, Feinberg helped determine the fair market value of the original Zapruder film of the Kennedy assassination, and legal fees in Holocaust slave labor litigation.

Feinberg has been appointed to two presidential-level commissions, and has had a distinguished teaching career as an adjunct professor at law schools, including the University of Pennsylvania. He was named “Lawyer of the Year” in 2004 by the National Law Journal, and has been named repeatedly by the Journal as one of “The 100 Most Influential Lawyers in America.”

Feinberg is a partner at Feinberg Rozen, LLP, which he founded in 1992. He previously served as a law clerk for the New York State Court of Appeals from 1970 to 1972; assistant United States attorney, Southern District of New York from 1972 to 1975, special counsel, United Sates Senate Committee on the Judiciary from 1975 to 1980; administrative assistant to Senator Edward M. Kennedy from 1977 to 1979; and partner at Kaye, Scholer, Fierman, Hays & Handler from 1980 to 1993. He received his BA cum laude from the University of Massachusetts in 1967 and his JD from New York University School of Law in 1970.

The Segal Lecture will be held at the Law School's Levy Conference Center, and will be followed by a reception in the Great Hall.The Lecture is open to the public and attendees are eligible to receive one CLE credit.Seating is limited, and early registration is strongly encouraged. To register or for further information, contact Dori Pavel at dpavel@law.upenn.edu.